How to Take Apart an Original XBox

Written by jarrett melendez

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Torx screwdrivers and bits are inexpensive and necessary for taking apart an Xbox. (torx bits image by AGphotographer from Fotolia.com)

Taking apart an Xbox isn't so much difficult as it is time-consuming, careful work. Whether you're adding a mod chip, replacing broken or defective parts, cleaning out excess dust or just exploring the inside of your system, you'll need to use special Torx screwdrivers to open the Xbox and take it apart. These are fairly inexpensive tools and can be found at most hardware stores. Once you've equipped yourself with these tools, you'll be ready to delve into the inner workings of your Xbox game console.

Skill level:

Moderate

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Things you need

Torx 10 screwdriver

Torx 15 screwdriver

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Instructions

1

Remove the outer casing. Flip the system upside down and you'll see four rubber pads at each corner of the console. Remove them to expose the screws and use the Torx 15 screwdriver to remove them. Peel back the sticker with the barcode on it and the sticker that says "Xbox Video Game System" on it to reveal two more screws. Remove them and carefully flip the system right side up to remove the casing.

2

Disconnect the hard drive from the DVD drive by removing the IDE cable. This is the flat, wide, grey cable running between both drives.

3

Disconnect the yellow power cable from the DVD drive. Disconnect the power cable from the hard drive. This is the cable with black, red and yellow wires connected to a white plug.

4

Place the Xbox so that its front is facing you. At the lower left corner of the console, there is a screw holding in the DVD drive; remove it with the Torx 10 screwdriver. You'll see a black plastic bar running through the middle of the console; there are two additional screws to remove on it. Lift out the hard drive and DVD drive and set them aside.

5

Remove the yellow power cable, the IDE cable and the cooling fan cable from the motherboard and set them aside. Locate the main power cable and remove it. It's a series of multicoloured wires connected to a white plug located near the centre of the lower half of the console.

6

Remove the yellow data cable. It's located directly below the main power cable you just removed. Remove the controller port daughterboard.

7

Locate and remove the 11 screws holding the motherboard in place. These are all Torx 10 screws. Carefully remove the motherboard and set it aside. All that should be left in the system are a few cables, the cooling fan and the power supply.

Tips and warnings

Do not use regular screwdrivers on your Xbox or you may strip the screws.